International Cryptozoology Museum

Begun more than six years ago in the Portland basement of Loren Coleman, the International Cryptozoology Museum finally got a regular-hours, brick-and-mortar space at 661 Congress Street in November 2009. Showcasing artifacts, models (including an eight-foot-tall, 400-pound Bigfoot!), toys, and pop ephemera that Coleman has collected in his years as a world-renowned cryptozoologist (one who studies creatures that are considered to be legendary or non-existent), and sharing space with the pulpy Green Hand Bookshop, the museum is a celebration of everything weird, exciting, and mysterious.